---
id: device
title: Device Configuration
sidebar_label: Device
description: Learn about and compare device roles such as Client, Repeater, and Router as well as other Device settings.
---

import Tabs from "@theme/Tabs";
import TabItem from "@theme/TabItem";
import { Icon } from "@iconify/react";

The device config options are: Role, Rebroadcast Mode, GPIO for User Button, GPIO for PWM Buzzer, Node Info Broadcast Seconds, Double Tap as Button Press, Disable Triple Click, Timezone Definition, and LED Heartbeat Disabled. Device config uses an admin message sending a `Config.Device` protobuf.

## Device Config Values

## Roles

| Device Role    | Description                                                                                                                                                      | Best Uses                                                                                                                                                   |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| CLIENT         | App connected or stand alone messaging device. Rebroadcasts packets when no other node has done so.                                                              | General use for individuals needing to communicate over the Meshtastic network with support for client applications.                                        |
| CLIENT_MUTE    | Device that does not forward packets from other devices.                                                                                                         | Situations where a device needs to participate in the network without assisting in packet routing, reducing network load.                                   |
| CLIENT_HIDDEN  | Device that only broadcasts as needed for stealth or power savings.                                                                                              | Use in stealth/hidden deployments or to reduce airtime/power consumption while still participating in the network.                                          |
| CLIENT_BASE    | Personal base station: always rebroadcasts packets from or to its favorited nodes. Handles all other packets like CLIENT.                                        | Use for stronger attic/roof “base station” nodes to distribute messages more widely from your own weaker, indoor, or less-well-positioned nodes.            |
| TRACKER        | Broadcasts GPS position packets as priority.                                                                                                                     | Tracking the location of individuals or assets, especially in scenarios where timely and efficient location updates are critical.                           |
| LOST_AND_FOUND | Broadcasts location as message to default channel regularly for to assist with device recovery.                                                                  | Used for recovery efforts of a lost device.                                                                                                                 |
| SENSOR         | Broadcasts telemetry packets as priority.                                                                                                                        | Deploying in scenarios where gathering environmental or other sensor data is crucial, with efficient power usage and frequent updates.                      |
| TAK            | Optimized for ATAK system communication, reduces routine broadcasts.                                                                                             | Integration with ATAK systems (via the Meshtastic ATAK Plugin) for communication in tactical or coordinated operations.                                     |
| TAK_TRACKER    | Enables automatic TAK PLI broadcasts and reduces routine broadcasts.                                                                                             | Standalone PLI integration with ATAK systems for communication in tactical or coordinated operations.                                                       |
| REPEATER [^4] | Infrastructure node for extending network coverage by always rebroadcasting packets once with minimal overhead. Not visible in Nodes list.                       | Best positioned in strategic locations to maximize the network's overall coverage. Device is not shown in topology.                                       |
| ROUTER         | Infrastructure node for extending network coverage by always rebroadcasting packets once. Visible in Nodes list.                                                 | Best positioned in strategic locations to maximize the network's overall coverage. Device is shown in topology.                                             |
| ROUTER_LATE    | Infrastructure node that always rebroadcasts packets once but only after all other modes, ensuring additional coverage for local clusters. Visible in Nodes list. | Ideal for covering dead spots or ensuring reliability for a cluster of nodes where placement doesn’t benefit the broader mesh. Device is shown in topology. |

[^4]: This role has been deprecated as of firmware version 2.7.11
:::tip
Still not sure which role to use? Check out our blog post: [Choosing the Right Device Role](/blog/choosing-the-right-device-role/)
:::

Looking for ROUTER_CLIENT? This role was deprecated in firmware 2.3.15. Learn more in the [2.3.15 release notes](https://github.com/meshtastic/firmware/releases/tag/v2.3.15.deb7c27)

### Role Comparison

This table shows the **default** values after selecting a preset. As always, individual settings can be adjusted after choosing a preset.

| Device Role    | BLE/WiFi/Serial | Screen Enabled | Power Consumption | Retransmit     | Prioritized Routing | Visible in Nodes List |
| -------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- | -------------- | ------------------- | --------------------- |
| CLIENT         | Yes             | Yes            | Regular           | Yes            | No                  | Yes                   |
| CLIENT_MUTE    | Yes             | Yes            | Lowest            | No             | No                  | Yes                   |
| CLIENT_HIDDEN  | Yes             | Yes            | Lowest            | Local Only     | No                  | No                    |
| CLIENT_BASE    | Yes             | Yes            | Regular           | Yes            | Favorites Only[^3]  | Yes                   |
| TRACKER        | Yes             | No             | Regular / Low     | Awake Only[^1] | No                  | Yes                   |
| LOST_AND_FOUND | Yes             | No             | Regular           | Yes            | No                  | Yes                   |
| SENSOR         | Yes             | No             | Regular / Low     | Awake Only[^1] | No                  | Yes                   |
| TAK            | Yes             | Optional       | Regular           | Yes            | No                  | Yes                   |
| TAK_TRACKER    | Yes             | Optional       | Regular           | Yes            | No                  | Yes                   |
| ROUTER         | No[^2]          | No             | High              | Yes            | Yes                 | Yes                   |
| ROUTER_LATE    | Yes             | Yes            | High              | Yes            | No                  | Yes                   |
| REPEATER       | Yes             | No             | High              | Yes            | Yes                 | No                    |

[^1]: **Awake Only** indicates retransmissions will occur normally but not while asleep between transmission intervals.

[^2]: The `ROUTER` role enables [Power Saving](/docs/configuration/radio/power/#power-saving) by default (ESP32 only). When needing to update a `ROUTER` via BLE, it's recommended you utilize an admin channel to temporarily change the role in order to update and then revert when done.

[^3]: **Favorites Only** indicates that the `CLIENT_BASE` will prioritize packets from or to any favorited nodes. From your `CLIENT_BASE`, you should favorite all of your other nodes which are typically within range of the better-positioned `CLIENT_BASE` base station.

## Notes about Power Saving + Role behavior

### ESP32 Platform Only

Every role except for the `TRACKER` and `SENSOR` roles are capable of traditional _sleep_ behavior using the `power.is_power_saving` setting. When a node goes to sleep, in general, the serial console, peripherals, GPS, and WiFi/Bluetooth radio are all shut down to conserve power. The CPU will enter a low power state (light sleep or deep sleep on the ESP32). The LoRA radio will be left on stand-by for receiving any packets which will _wake up_ the device to resume services and respond.

Timeout configurations of `display.screen_on_secs` (Screen timeout), `power.min_wake_secs` (Minimum time till sleep), and `power.wait_bluetooth_secs` (Bluetooth timeout) will delay a node's transition to a sleep state. The timeouts and subsequent transition to sleep states may also be _reset_ by external events or actions such as receiving a packet, pressing a button, or connecting via client through serial or other means.

For the `ROUTER` role, the `power.is_power_saving` behavior of sleep is enabled automatically and cannot be turned off.

### ESP32 and NRF52 Platforms

In the `TRACKER` and `SENSOR` roles, there are special sleep behaviors when combined with `power.is_power_saving`. For `TRACKER`, the device will go to sleep for `position.position_broadcast_secs` and upon waking will send a position packet when the GPS provides a valid location and repeat the cycle. For `SENSOR`, the device will go to sleep for `telemetry.environment_update_interval` and upon waking will gather environment data and send a telemetry packet and repeat the cycle. For both of these roles, the LoRA radio does not remain in standby mode to accept packets and wake up the device. Sleep remains constrained to their respective transmission intervals.

## Rebroadcast Mode

This setting defines the device's behavior for how messages are rebroadcasted.

|        Value         |                                                                                                  Description                                                                                                  |
| :------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: |
|        `ALL`         |               ALL (Default) - This setting will rebroadcast ALL messages from its primary mesh as well as other meshes with the same modem settings, including when encryption settings differ.               |
| `ALL_SKIP_DECODING`  |                                  ALL_SKIP_DECODING - Same as behavior as ALL, but skips packet decoding and simply rebroadcasts them. **Only available with Repeater role.**                                  |
|     `LOCAL_ONLY`     |             LOCAL_ONLY - Ignores observed messages from foreign meshes that are open or those which it cannot decrypt. Only rebroadcasts message on the nodes local primary / secondary channels.             |
|     `KNOWN_ONLY`     |            KNOWN_ONLY - Ignores observed messages from foreign meshes like LOCAL_ONLY, but takes it a step further by also ignoring messages from nodenums not in the node's known list (NodeDB).             |
|        `NONE`        |                                       NONE - Only permitted for SENSOR, TRACKER and TAK_TRACKER roles, this will inhibit all rebroadcasts, not unlike CLIENT_MUTE role.                                       |
| `CORE_PORTNUMS_ONLY` | CORE_PORTNUMS_ONLY - Ignores packets from non-standard portnums such as: TAK, RangeTest, PaxCounter, etc. Only rebroadcasts packets with standard portnums: NodeInfo, Text, Position, Telemetry, and Routing. |

## GPIO for User Button

This is the GPIO pin number that will be used for the user button, if your device does not come with a predefined user button.

## GPIO for PWM Buzzer

This is the GPIO pin number that will be used for the PWM buzzer, if your device does not come with a predefined buzzer.

## Node Info Broadcast Seconds

This is the number of seconds between NodeInfo message (containing i.a. long and short name) broadcasts from the device. The device will still respond ad-hoc to NodeInfo messages when a response is wanted. When the device hears any packet from a node it doesn't know yet, it will send its NodeInfo and ask for a response automatically.

## Double Tap as Button Press

This option will enable a double tap, when a supported accelerometer is attached to the device, to be treated as a button press.

## Disable Triple Click

Disables the triple-press of user button to enable or disable GPS.

## TZDEF (Timezone Definition)

The `tzdef` setting allows the local offset to be defined for the device. It uses the TZ Database format to display the correct local time on the device display and in its logs.

To set the timezone, use the POSIX TZ Database string for the relevant region. Here is a list of [supported timezones](https://github.com/nayarsystems/posix_tz_db/blob/master/zones.csv). For example, if your region is `America/Los_Angeles`, you would input `PST8PDT,M3.2.0,M11.1.0` as the timezone.

## LED Heartbeat Disabled

If true, disable the default blinking LED (LED_PIN) behavior on the device.

## Device Config Client Availability

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#### Android

:::info

Device Config is available for Android.

1. Open the Meshtastic App
2. Navigate to: **Settings > Device**

:::

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="apple">

#### Apple

:::info
All device config options other than NTP Server are available on iOS, iPadOS and macOS at Settings > Device Configuration > Device.
:::

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="cli">

#### CLI

:::info

All device config options are available in the python CLI. Example commands are below:

:::

| Setting                           | Acceptable Values                                                  | Default           |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------- |
| device.role                       | `CLIENT`, `CLIENT_MUTE`, `ROUTER`, `REPEATER`, `TRACKER`, `SENSOR` | `CLIENT`          |
| device.rebroadcast_mode           | `ALL`, `ALL_SKIP_DECODING`, `LOCAL_ONLY`                           | `ALL`             |
| device.button_gpio                | `0` - `34`                                                         | `0`               |
| device.buzzer_gpio                | `0` - `34`                                                         | `0`               |
| device.node_info_broadcast_secs   | `3600` - `UINT MAX`                                                | `10800` (3 hours) |
| device.double_tap_as_button_press | `false`, `true`                                                    | `false`           |
| device.disable_triple_click       | `false`, `true`                                                    | `false`           |

:::tip

Because the device will reboot after each command is sent via CLI, it is recommended when setting multiple values in a config section that commands be chained together as one.

```shell title="Example:"
meshtastic --set device.role CLIENT --set device.tzdef UTC0
```

:::

```shell title="Set the role to client"
meshtastic --set device.role CLIENT
```

```shell title="Set tzdef"
meshtastic --set device.tzdef UTC0
```

</TabItem>
<TabItem value="web">

#### Web

:::info
All device config options are available in the Web UI.
:::

</TabItem>
</Tabs>
